1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to telecommunications and, more particularly, to use of a Domain Name Server (DNS) to direct web communications to an intermediation platform.
2. Description of Related Art
It is known to provide an intermediation platform that acts upon web communications being transmitted between a web client and a web server. Such a platform could sit within the communication path between the web client and web server so that any web communications passing between the client and server would necessarily flow through the platform. When the platform receives a given web communication, the platform could then apply a whitelist or other data to determine whether to perform an intermediation action and, if so, what sort of action to perform. And the platform could then perform the intermediation action, and pass the web communication along the web communication path to its intended destination.
Alternatively, an entity within the web communication path could apply a whitelist or other data to determine that a given web communication should be passed to the intermediation platform for handling, and the entity could responsively pass the communication to the intermediation platform. The intermediation platform could then perform an intermediation action and then pass the communication back to the entity. And the entity could then pass the communication along the web communication path to its intended destination.
This works well where it is certain that web communications will pass through a common entity such as the intermediation platform itself or an entity that can shunt web communications to the intermediation platform. For example, if an Internet Service Provider (ISP) has an access gateway through which all web communications pass, the ISP could have the gateway apply a whitelist that causes the gateway to shunt certain communications to an intermediation platform.
Unfortunately, however, inefficiency can arise in a scenario where web communications do not all pass through a common entity. For instance, if an ISP has multiple access gateways, each providing Internet connectivity for a respective access network, web communications with client stations in the various access networks may pass through different gateways and not through a common entity. In that scenario, intermediation could be provided by placing an intermediation platform respectively in each access channel or by programming the access gateways with whitelist data that causes the gateways to shunt certain web communications to an intermediation platform. Provisioning and upkeep of multiple intermediation platforms and/or multiple sets of whitelist data, however, is costly and difficult. Thus, a better solution is desired.